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Dutch Oven Lasagna

Dutch oven lasagna with golden, bubbly cheese layers built directly in your pot—perfect for campfire cooking. Layer uncooked noodles, a ricotta mixture, and meat sauce so everything bakes up tender and cohesive.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Rest time 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Italian-American
Calories: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Ground beef
  • 1 lb ground beef
Spaghetti sauce
  • 1 jar (24 oz) spaghetti sauce
Ricotta layer
  • 1 container (15 oz) ricotta cheese
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
Mozzarella topping
  • 2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Parmesan
  • 1 cup Parmesan cheese Use 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese total; label shows 1 cup for schema compatibility—measure 1/2 cup during prep.
Lasagna noodles
  • 9 lasagna noodles, uncooked
Cooking spray
  • 1 Cooking spray

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven
  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Brown the meat sauce
  1. Brown the ground beef in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat, stirring until no longer pink. Mix in the spaghetti sauce and simmer briefly until combined.
Make the ricotta mixture
  1. In a bowl, mix ricotta cheese with 1 cup mozzarella, Parmesan cheese, egg, and Italian seasoning until smooth and evenly blended. The mixture should hold together in thick dollops.
Assemble in the Dutch oven
  1. Spray the Dutch oven with cooking spray, then spread a thin layer of meat sauce on the bottom. Aim for full coverage without thick pools.
Layer the lasagna
  1. Layer 3 lasagna noodles (broken to fit) over the sauce. Press lightly so the noodles touch the sauce.
  2. Spoon half the ricotta mixture over the noodles, then spread it into an even layer. Leave a small border at the edges for cleaner bubbling.
  3. Spoon half the remaining meat sauce over the ricotta. Spread to cover most of the surface.
  4. Repeat the noodle-and-ricotta layers using another 3 noodles (broken to fit) and the rest of the ricotta mixture. Keep the layers level for even cooking.
  5. Top with the final meat sauce, then arrange the final 3 noodles on top. Make sure the top noodles are mostly covered by sauce to prevent dryness.
Bake over campfire coals
  1. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella over the top layer. You want a visible, even cheese coverage for a golden finish.
  2. Cover the Dutch oven and cook over campfire coals with coals on the lid for 45 to 50 minutes. Look for bubbling edges and a melted, browned top.
Rest and serve
  1. Let the lasagna rest for 10 minutes before serving. The slices will set up and stay neater when scooped.

Notes

Pro tip: break the noodles just enough to fit snugly—tight layering helps the uncooked noodles soften evenly. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container up to 4 days; freeze up to 2 months (thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat until hot). For a lower-fat option, use part-skim ricotta and reduce mozzarella slightly while keeping the layers balanced.